


Creature of Comfort

by Akira_of_the_Twilight



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canonical Character Death, M/M, Magic, Teddy Bear Bucky, Teddy Bears, Tony Feels, Tony Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-03-10
Packaged: 2019-03-29 13:18:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13927905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akira_of_the_Twilight/pseuds/Akira_of_the_Twilight
Summary: Prompt: au where Bucky was Tony's childhood stuffed bear turned human.The man reached behind himself to try and touch the scar. “Howard didn’t want you to have me any more, so he took me away, but you found me. When he found out though, you both fought over me, and my arm was ripped. You screamed and tried to hit Howard, but Jarvis grabbed you. When you calmed down, he showed you how to fix my arm.” The man smiled over his shoulder at Tony. “This is from you. You fixed me, and Howard never tried to take me away again.”Tony didn’t say anything. He was a man of logic and reason. Unless he were to believe that someone had been spying on him his whole life to pull off this particular prank, he was hard pressed to find an explanation for how the man in front of him knew what he did. He considered a few scientific theories to explain his teddy bear turning into a human, and even let his mind toy with the idea of his teddy bear being an alien that could assume different forms.Truth be told, he had most likely suffered a mental breakdown.“Tony.” The man turned around. A look of concern was etched across his face. “I’m Bucky. You’ve figured that out, right?”





	Creature of Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to [Nix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nix3994/profile) and [justanotherpipedream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanotherpipedream) for being beta readers and helping me edit this story. All of your help has been much appreciated.

Tony cursed as he dipped his finger under his eyes to catch his tears before they fell. He blinked and white-knuckled the steering wheel. It was dangerous enough that he was driving on two hours of sleep, in the middle of heavy rain, while being mentally and emotionally unstable. He did not need the added problem of being unable to see through his tears.

“ _ Stark men don’t cry _ ,” the gruff voice of his father said in Tony’s mind. It was accompanied by the image of his father holding a glass of bourbon. He could smell the alcohol and vividly remember the sheen of his father’s wedding ring.

The tears returned. “Damn you, old man.” The ingrained lesson in Tony’s brain warred with Tony’s rebellious streak.

“ _ Your father is old fashioned, and is terrible when it comes to emotions. If you need to cry, then cry _ .” In Tony’s mind, his mother smiled as she played the piano.

Tony took a deep breath. His chest ached as he struggled to draw air in evenly and not sob. He took a few more breaths until he felt calmer.

He could do this. He’d made this drive before.

Not far in the distance, red emergency lights and flares, caught Tony’s attention. A car was parked on the side of the road with two figures beside it. The figures had popped the hood of the car open. Without umbrellas, the rain had drenched them.

Tony couldn’t take another bad thing happening today. He turned on his blinker, merged onto the side of the road, and parked. He reached into the backseat of his car and grabbed his coat, an umbrella, and his roadside kit. He wrestled the coat on, then hurried out of the car, wasting no time in opening the umbrella. He marched through the rain toward the broken car and its owners.

“Do you need any help?” Tony shouted over the rain.

The figures startled and turned. Through the sheets of rain, Tony could make out the faces of a girl and boy about his age, maybe older. Chunks of white hair poked out from the boy’s hood. The dark tones in the boy’s facial hair suggested that the white on his head was unnatural.

“You know how to fix a car?” The boy asked.

“I do. Might not have the tools though.”  As Tony got close enough, he could see the smudges of heavy makeup on the boy and the girl. The two looked like they were trying to imitate either the punk scene or the goth scene, whichever got to take the credit for the use of the heavy eyeliner today.

The girl stood aside and waved Tony toward the engine. “Please, take a look.”

“Anything for a lady.” Tony handed the girl his umbrella. He waved the boy over to join the girl under its protection. “You get under there too. Can’t have both of you getting sick.”

Tony peeked at the engine. At a glance, it looked fine. He hovered his hand over the engine. Still warm. Better to eyeball it for now and not dive in with his hands. Didn’t mean there weren’t other ways he could check the engine.

“May I look around the driver’s seat?” Tony asked. “I need to access the wires there.”

The girl nodded. She relinquished the umbrella to the boy, as she unlocked the driver seat for Tony.

Tony peeled off the panel under the steering wheel, and fumbled through the wires until he found the ones he wanted. He hefted his roadside kit onto the driver’s floor and opened it. He combed through the cluttered contents until he found his diagnostics tool. Tony held up the device like a plaque proclaiming his success for the boy and girl to see. “Mind turning on the car? I’d do it myself, but I don’t want you to think I’m going to drive off with it.”

“Oh no. We don’t mind at all.” The girl left the shelter of the umbrella once again. She scooted past Tony to turn on the car.

With the vehicle running, Tony hooked up the diagnostics tool. He waited until the device lit up with a number. He grimaced. “Did you take a nasty dip recently?”

The girl shook her head, but the boy nodded. When the girl noticed her companion’s movements, she gaped at him. “Pietro! Why didn’t you say something?”

Pietro looked offended. “Don’t take that tone with me, sister. You’ve taken dips too, and the car has been fine before.”

“Has it it been leaking?” Tony interrupted the family squabble.

“It’s always dripped a little,” Pietro answered.

Tony was tempted to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Has it been leaking more?”

“Yes, Pietro,” the girl said sarcastically. “Has it been leaking more?”

“Ha. Ha. Very funny, Wanda. Yes, Mr. Mechanic Man. It’s been leaking more.”

“Tony,” he offered his name. “You’ve got a crack. Possibly more than one if it was dripping before your dip. Unfortunately, that means you’re going to have to call a tow truck and take this car to a real mechanic.”

Pietro vocally cussed; whereas, Wanda mumbled her curse words.

Tony looked around to see how far the closest phone was along the side of the road. The rain was so heavy though, he couldn’t see anything. “Wait in the car.” Tony pointed to the siblings’ vehicle then hurried to his car. He went around to the passenger side, opened the door, then pulled out his cell phone from the glove compartment. It was a clunky thing with an antenna.

When the day came that Tony needed a break from working on artificial intelligence, he’d build a sleeker and better phone.  For now though, artificial intelligence came first.

Tony carried the phone over to the car where the siblings had taken shelter. Wanda had her window rolled down. She leaned her head out of the window as Tony neared. Before she could get a word out, Tony handed over his cell phone. “Make whatever calls you need.”

“Thank you,” Wanda hollered over the gust of wind that howled and batted at Tony. She turned to Pietro and said something to him. Pietro searched through their glove compartment and pulled out a small binder.

Tony shivered. “I’ll wait in my car. Come get me once you’ve got everything settled.”

Wanda nodded as she punched in a phone number into the phone.

Tony did as he said he would. Once inside his car, he shedded his jacket, turned on the engine, and blasted heat through the car. His jacket had protected him from most of the rain, but without a proper hood, he’d still gotten soaked along his shoulders from the rain sneaking in under his jacket.

Tony rubbed his hands together and waited.

A few minutes later, Wanda knocked on his window. He rolled it down for her, and she thrust his phone at him. “Thank you, Tony. Pietro and I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

“No problem. As I said, always happy to help out a lady.” Tony grinned flirtatiously, although his heart wasn’t in it.

“No. We are indebted to you.” Wanda fished around in her pocket. She struggled with the umbrella in her grasp as she patted herself down. Eventually, she pulled out a card. She tucked the umbrella under her arm so she could clasp the card between her palms. She held her hands up to her lips, and murmured what had to be a prayer. She then handed the card to Tony. “If it is in my power then may the next wish you make come true.”

Tony read the card. “Tomes and Tomes of Books?” Tony read the names and address on the card. “You two own a bookstore?”

Wanda nodded. “We do. Feel free to visit. Hold on to the card for more than that though. It is the vessel for my desire.”

Tony blinked then went cross-eyed as he reexamined the card. “Your desire?”

“For your next wish to come true.”

Tony eyed Wanda. She didn’t look like the hippie type. “Are you a punk witch or something?”

Wanda smiled. She closed the umbrella and handed it back to Tony. “Thank you again. The tow truck will be here soon. We appreciate all of your help.”  Wanda made a dash for her car.

Tony frowned at her business card. He shrugged and pocketed it.

Tony waited until the tow truck showed up to take off and continue his journey.

It was the longest yet fastest journey of his life. While the drive felt like it was dragging at first, the closer he got to his parents’ home the faster it felt, and the more he realized he was not ready. He was never going to be ready though, so he pressed on, pulled up to the front gate, and waited for the security system to recognize his car. He then drove through and up the short path to the front of the house where he parked.

Tony turned off the car. The rain had lessened and the sun fought to break through the clouds. Tony touched his shoulder. His shirt was a tad damp, but had dried significantly during the drive. Running out of ways to delay the inevitable, Tony took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. He locked and closed it then headed up the porch steps.

He fumbled with his keys as he searched for the right one.

His eyes watered and he blinked.

He could do this.

Tony found the key and unlocked the door.

As the front door swung open, the air was sucked out of Tony’s lungs. Everything was as he remembered it. His mother’s flowers. The photos on the walls. The curtains. The chairs. The sofa. The carpets. The grand piano in the family room. The kitchen. Everything was the same as when he had last seen it.

Of course it was all the same though. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been there before they left. Before the car accident.

He might have even been in his room, getting ready for a party when the accident had occurred. He hadn’t been home when the police had tried to contact him.

And now the house and everything in it was his. He was going to have to go through it all and figure out what he was going to do with it. He could keep everything in theory, but the thought left him feeling sick. If he didn’t try to get rid of at least a few things, then he never would. He couldn’t allow himself such weakness. He had to be strong.

Unfortunately, the sight of his parents’ home was too powerful a blow. He needed to retreat.

Tony raced up the stairs to his room. To his sanctuary.

Tony relaxed as he entered his room. He still felt the weight of his grief, but it was easier to see his things. He didn’t have to think about whether or not he would keep the robot dog that sat on his nightstand. There was no question about if he should throw away his band posters. His three toolboxes under his bed were his until he broke all of the tools inside them, or found better ones. Bucky Bear would continue to sleep on his bed and guard it while Tony was out.

Tony wondered if there was still a bottle of scotch tucked in his nightstand.

Feeling too much and needing to feel less, Tony trudged to his nightstand to find the answer. He was relieved when he opened the drawer to find a half-full bottle of the amber liquid stored away. He took off the bottle cap and downed a mouthful of the beverage. With a deep breath, he flopped onto his bed, knocking over Bucky.

He grumbled as he picked up the teddy bear and plopped Bucky in his lap. He adjusted his posture so his knees bent and braced him, while also holding Bucky in the perfect spot for Tony to sling his arm around the toy. His heart squeezed at the familiar and comforting softness of Bucky. He rubbed Bucky’s belly, feeling the brown, satin-like fur across along his fingertips.

His throat ached with the need to sob. His butler Jarvis had given him Bucky. He could hear the man’s words, even though it had been years since he’d last heard Jarvis’ voice.

_ “Everyone needs a companion and confidant. This bear is perfect at keeping secrets and he will always be there to comfort you.” _

Tony could still recall the way Jarvis had smiled when Tony had informed him that Howard would not approve.

_ “Your father will question it. Perhaps one day he will even try to take the bear away, because he feels you are too old. If you love this bear and take good care of it, no matter what your father may think, this bear will always be with you.” _

Jarvis had been right. Howard had made his comments and gripes about Tony having Bucky, but he never took Bucky away.

Tony took another gulp of scotch and hugged Bucky like he was a lifeline. He gasped as he pried the bottle from his mouth and set it on the nightstand. His hand quaked, and he longed to pick up the bottle again. He couldn’t do that though. He’d already drunk himself stupid yesterday. All he had ended up with was a raging headache, a sour taste in his mouth, and feeling just as much grief as he did before. This time he would just take the edge off, and not blackout.

Tony wrapped both arms around Bucky and squeezed. A voice in the back of his head, urged him to get up and work on sorting through things.

He should at least go to his father’s office and pull out the contracts there. The lawyers of his father’s company were already hard at work making sure the company transferred to Tony seamlessly. There might be a document in Howard’s office that could aid them, or perhaps there was something Howard had been working on before he’d died that would need Tony’s attention immediately. The last thing Tony needed was to be blindsided by a lawsuit, or demands from another company because of a deal Howard made in secret.

Tony forced himself off the bed. He clung to Bucky as he trudged through the empty hall to his father’s office. His body tensed as he turned the knob to the office. He could hear his father shouting at him for entering without knocking, except his father wasn’t there.

His father’s office was as immaculate and dark as ever. The high windows brought in what little sunlight the rainy day possessed, but the light couldn’t combat the dark wood that made up the walls and furniture of the office.

Tony went to the plush, green chair at the mahogany desk, and cautiously sat. Once again he could hear the echo of his father yelling at him, and it had him on edge. He tucked Bucky into the crook of his elbow and kissed the bear’s head. “He was such an angry old man.”

Tony yanked open the bottom drawer of the desk and pulled out all of the files. His head spun at all of the folders and paper shoved inside. What the desk contained was only a fraction of the paperwork Tony would have to sift through. There were cabinets and cupboards full of binders and folders that Tony would have to read. That didn’t include the items on Howard’s computer or the stuff kept at Stark Industries.

Tony rubbed Bucky’s belly as he opened the first folder. “This is a going to be a long day.”

It was. Even with his familiarity of Stark Industries, in his current state of mind, he struggled to process what he was reading. It was almost unheard of for him. The last time he’d struggled to memorize anything was after Jarvis’ death.

Tony swallowed a lump in his throat. He blinked. His eyes felt heavy and dry. He’d finished reading the files in the desk and had gone through four cabinets. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but it was pitch black outside.  

He could push himself. He did it all the time. This time, however, he couldn’t bring himself to push through his exhaustion.

Tony collected Bucky into his arms and abandoned the office for his bedroom.

The moment Tony laid eyes on his bed, he was done for. Exhaustion knocked into him like a freight train, and he collapsed onto the mattress. He was too tired to lift his blankets, so he curved into a ball around Bucky to keep himself warm. He burrowed his face at the top of Bucky’s head.

“I wish you were human.” Tony’s voice cracked at the confession.

He felt so alone and hollow. He’d been able to contact his best friend Rhodey to share the news with him, but Rhodey was stuck at his assigned location. Tony was happy that his friend was building a career in the military, but at that moment, all he felt was a sickening bitterness and resentment for the fact that he couldn’t have his best friend when he needed him most. No amount of telling himself that it wasn’t Rhodey’s fault he couldn’t come could diminish the vile feeling.

Wishing his bear was human did though.

Hurt and loneliness rose up in Tony like a tidal wave. It crashed into him and filled him with such raw emotion, and it felt good.

Tony clung to Bucky as he sobbed. “If you were human, you could talk, and you could,” Tony choked on what he wanted to say. It sounded so stupid and cornbally. He was alone though, so why the hell should he care? “You could hug me too. God, I can’t believe I want a goddamn hug like some little kid, but…” Tony tucked Bucky under his chin, and pressed Bucky so close, his curves and fluff were flattened. “I just need to feel loved right now.” Tony chuckled dryly. A sob slipped in between bitter chuckles. “You love me. We’ve been together forever now. Doesn’t matter how stupid I act, or if I left you behind a couple of times I was at MIT. You’re always there.”

Tony pulled Bucky out from under his chin to look the bear in the eye.

Bucky looked at Tony as he always did: with a smile on his face.

Tony rolled over on top of Bucky and squashed him. He shoved his face in his pillow. “Stupid bear.”

* * *

Tony hugged the warm body beneath him. His nose brushed the clavicle of his partner. He tilted his head so he could brush his lips along the sensitive spot, but stopped as his lips made contact. He shouldn’t be cuddling or kissing his one night stand in the morning. It sent mixed signals. As much as he’d like to have a long term partner, so far, any attempts at making one night stands more than a fun evening had ended in disaster.

Tony silently told himself that he needed to get up and move, but his body felt so heavy, and his partner felt so good against him. He’d caught himself a man, and a fit one by the feel of it. The man’s abs were defined enough that Tony could detect each curve and dip. The arms wrapped around Tony’s waist and back were thick with muscle, but not grossly bulging as if the man were on steroids or had made weight lifting his profession.

The arm on his back shifted. His partner rubbed Tony’s back then returned to loosely holding him.

Tony smiled and fought down his reservations about cuddling. It didn’t hurt to indulge once in a while. Especially after the last couple days he’d been having.

The memory of him answering his phone to hear the police request his presence at the station broke Tony out of the happy enchantment his sleep addled mind had put him under.

Tony rolled off the man in his bed, and gracefully sat up beside the mysterious man.

Tony stared at the man. Brown, tousled tresses haloed the man’s head. When properly brushed, his hair probably went just above his shoulders. His morning shadow was a thick, fuzz that framed the small smile he gifted Tony. The blue eyes the man aimed at Tony were friendly and warm.

“You’re awake.” The man sat up. His movements drew Tony’s attention to his penis, which was uncovered like the rest of the man. Tony flicked his eyes back to the man, who hadn’t noticed at all. Instead, he cupped Tony’s cheek. “I know you probably still don’t feel too good, but I hope you’re feeling a little better.”

Tony tensed. He swore he had not had enough to drink yesterday to black out and find a one night stand. He swore it. However, if that was true, then he had a crazy stalker in front of him.

Not wanting to provoke his stalker into violence, Tony remained calm. “I feel weird.” Tony gently pushed away his staker’s hand. He rested his hand on his belly to imply that his stomach was bothering him. “I just…” Tony pushed his forehead against his fist and groaned. “Pounding headache. Can’t even remember my name. His Royal Majesty, was it?”

The stalker’s eyes widened with fright. “Oh no. Then you’re not going to know how to explain this, are you?” The stalker gestured to himself.

Tony frowned. He looked the stalker over again. “You mean about last night?”

The stalker nodded. “I don’t know how, but now I am like this.” The stalker held up his hands and waved them. He then held up one arm and brushed his hand across it. “No fur.”

“So you don’t remember shaving yourself?” Tony’s stomach  _ was _ bothering him now. Either the stalker was speaking nonsense or he had some wild memory problems. Either way, Tony did not feel safe. He needed to distract his stalker and call the police.

“Not shaving. I-” The stalker cut himself off. He lowered his gaze and slightly pursed his lips as he contemplated. “I sound crazy.” The stalker raised his gaze. He studied Tony then scowled. He snapped his fingers. “Damn. You remember last night, but you slept through that part. You’re freaking out now. I’m not doing a very good job.”

“I’m not freaking out.” Tony feigned amusement. “I find you highly entertaining.”

The man pointed at Tony’s face. “Nope. That’s the face you made the night Tiberius tried to make a move on you.”

Tony tensed. How did stalker guy know about that? That was years ago. Right before Tony went to MIT. This man couldn’t have been watching him that long.

“You played it cool, but then you knocked your stereo over so it would break your window. You held me all night after that.”

“Held you-” Tony started, but the man didn’t let him finish.

“You liked that Sunset girl though. You were so mad when your dad found out you were dating her. You were even more mad when he was right, and Sunset was just using you. That was another long night of holding. You actually held me all morning and afternoon the next day too. Your dad didn’t like that either, but your mom yelled at him when he said something.”

Tony’s mouth hung open an inch as he recalled the days after his breakup with Sunset Bane. He’d clung to Bucky so much. He’d been such a mess back then, and Bucky had felt like his only anchor. Howard had made his comments about Tony needing to act like an adult, but his mother Maria had told Howard to leave Tony be.

How could anyone know that?

Just like how could anyone know about Tiberius? Tony had never said anything, and he was pretty sure neither had Tiberius. Also the only person Tony had held—the only  _ thing _ Tony had held was Bucky.

“I know you probably won’t believe me, but…” The man twisted his head around and peered over his left shoulder. He beamed at his shoulder then smiled at Tony. “I have one piece of evidence.”

The man turned around and pointed to the back of his left shoulder.

Tony had to take moment to recognize what he was looking at. A stitched crescent of scar tissue curved along the man’s shoulder blade and under his armpit.

The man reached behind himself to try and touch the scar. “Howard didn’t want you to have me any more, so he took me away, but you found me. When he found out though, you both fought over me, and my arm was ripped. You screamed and tried to hit Howard, but Jarvis grabbed you. When you calmed down, he showed you how to fix my arm.” The man smiled over his shoulder at Tony. “This is from you. You fixed me, and Howard never tried to take me away again.”

Tony didn’t say anything. He was a man of logic and reason. Unless he were to believe that someone had been spying on him his whole life to pull off this particular prank, he was hard pressed to find an explanation for how the man in front of him knew what he did. He considered a few scientific theories to explain his teddy bear turning into a human, and even let his mind toy with the idea of his teddy bear being an alien that could assume different forms.

Truth be told, he had most likely suffered a mental breakdown.

“Tony.” The man turned around. A look of concern was etched across his face. “I’m Bucky. You’ve figured that out, right?”

Tony flashed back to Wanda giving him her business card and her words about a wish.

Tony shoved his hands into his pants pocket and pulled out Wanda’s card. “Put on some pants. I think we need to visit a witch.”

* * *

Tony used the drive to Tomes and Tomes of Books to interrogate Bucky further. Truth be told, Bucky volunteered stories more than Tony demanded them of him. Bucky the teddy bear had been in the background for most of Tony’s life. There were things Tony had done in front of Bucky that he never would have associated with the bear.

“There was also that night when you were bored so you tried to set it up so when the sprinkler in your room went off your stereo would play ‘It’s Raining Men,’” Bucky said as Tony pulled up to the curb in front of the store.

Tony eyed the window where Tomes and Tomes of Books was written in golden cursive. A stack of books and a spyglass was drawn beneath the words. Without having to step outside his car, Tony could see Pietro arranging books on the shelves.

“Then there was also-”

“We’re here,” Tony cut Bucky off. He unbuckled his seatbelt. Tony pushed his door open, but only got as far as an inch before Bucky touched his arm, and his attention snapped toward Bucky.

Bucky snatched his hand away. “Sorry. You probably don’t want me to touch you right now.”

Tony didn’t know yet. He was confused. His brain was telling him he had to be having a nervous breakdown; however, his gut was telling him something different. He didn’t feel like he was falling apart mentally, and everything felt too real to be a hallucination. Also, Bucky knew years of tiny details about Tony’s life. Mundane things that no one but Tony and those close to him would know or care about.

More than he believed he was going crazy, a part him deeply considered that Bucky might be his bear.

“I just want you to know, I’m not lying,” Bucky said.

Tony quirked an eyebrow. “We’ll see.” Tony got out his car and slammed the door. He waited for Bucky to get out on the other side.

He watched as Bucky walked. His movements were slow and awkward, like he was still learning to walk. Sometimes he jutted his hips forward too much or he stuck his foot out a few inches off to the side.

Tony had seen him walk like that to the car too. Was it an act?

Tony didn’t dwell on the question. He went to the store. A bell chimed over head as he pushed open the red door and stepped into the store. He held the door open for Bucky, who smiled graciously at Tony.

Tony didn’t have to take a step farther into the bookstore. Pietro rounded the corner with a smirk on his face, and his mouth open to say something to the customer he expected to find. When he saw Tony and Bucky his jaw dropped. Although, Pietro’s attention started on them both, it swiftly shifted over to just Bucky.

Either Pietro found Bucky immensely attractive, or somehow Pietro knew Bucky wasn’t what he appeared to be.

“Sister, you’re going to want to see this!”

“Just a minute!” Wanda hollered from somewhere in the back.

“Now!”

There was a thump from deep within the store, then the stomping of feet. “This better be good, Pietro. You know my energy has been low all day. It’s bad enough that I have to…” Wanda trailed off as she came out from between an aisle of bookshelves. Like her brother had before her, she gaped like a fish. Also like her brother, her focus was entirely on Bucky.

Wanda whispered something that sounded like a curse under her breath. The language she’d spoken wasn’t one Tony was familiar with.

“Sorry for dropping by without a warning, but I figured, because I got a surprise this morning, everyone should.” Tony pointed at Bucky. “Someone want to explain how this guy was in my bed this morning?”

“I would have to assume you put him there,” Wanda mumbled. There was a hint of awe to her tone.

“Now we know why you have been feeling so tired today.” Pietro’s attention finally left Bucky and slid to Tony. “When you wish, you wish big.”

“A wish that wouldn’t have worked if he hadn’t filled—whatever you were—with so much love and care.” Wanda took two steps then paused, realizing she was stepping into Tony and Bucky’s personal bubble. “Sorry, but I… I’ve heard of such a thing happening, but I never thought I’d see it with my own eyes, and by my blessing no less.”

“You’re going to have to explain yourself better than that,” Tony said.

Wanda nodded. She gestured down the aisle she had come from. “We have chairs this way. Take a seat. I’ll grab a book then explain. Would you like tea?”

“I just want answers,” Tony said.

“In time.” Wanda gestured again. “Please.”

Tony huffed. He didn’t like the delay, but he’d come all this way, and it wasn’t just to catch Wanda and Pietro off guard (he’d wanted to see their reactions and gauge how genuine they were).

So far, he wasn’t detecting any deceit.

Tony found the chairs in the back, and took a seat. The chairs were a few decades old, but well taken care of. They also had plenty of cushioning.  Under different circumstances, Tony would have been able to spend hours in his chair.

Bucky took the chair next to Tony.

Soon, Pietro and Wanda came lumbering toward them with their arms buried under books. Pietro adjusted his hold on his stack and nudged the coffee table nearby in front of Tony and Bucky. Pietro and Wanda then spread out the books and scoured through them until each book was opened to a specific page.

As Wanda and Pietro straightened, Tony skimmed the pages. Each page contained information on objects taking on life. Some mentioned energy, some concentration on a particular thought, and others emotion. Based on his quick scan, these were the key elements to bringing objects to life.

Wanda gestured to the books. “This will be hard for you to believe, but you brought something dear to you to life with the wish I promised you.”

The blood drained from Tony’s face. He felt sick. “You’re trying to tell me, I wished Bucky here into being.”

“Technically,” Pietro said, “he already existed, but unless he was a pet, he wasn’t alive until you wished it. Alive  _ and _ human.”

“But I-” Tony stopped himself. He had wished Bucky was human.

Tony picked up one of the books and read it some more. “You want me to believe you’re an actual witch with magic?”

Wanda pinched the bridge of her nose. “Pietro, I’m drained. Could you, please?”

“My pleasure.” With a cocky grin, Pietro waved his hand and uttered a few words.

Something shifted near Tony’s hip.

Tony tilted his side so he could see what was happening. He yelped when his wallet zoomed out from his pocket and into Pietro’s hands. “This should be good enough. Unless you think I rigged your wallet.” Pietro winked at Tony.

Tony searched himself for a response, but found none.

Bucky picked up one of the books and frowned. “I only recognize some of these words.”

“You can read?” Tony asked.

“A little. You had already learned by the time we met, but Maria still liked to read to you, and sometimes you read things aloud. I learned more while you were learning Italian and French. I like French.”

“A teddy bear turned human who likes French,” Tony deadpanned. “I must have lost my mind.”

“Believe that if you want.” Pietro shrugged. He tossed Tony’s wallet back to him. “I can give you another demonstration if you need.”

Tony ran his hands over his wallet, searching for anything that would suggest it had been tampered with. He found nothing. He pocketed the wallet then shook his head. “All right, my dignity is already gone, so let’s go with this magic story. Because I wished it, Bucky is now human. Can he be turned back into a bear?”

Wanda and Pietro went ramrod straight. They looked at each other and held their gazes for a beat. In unison they broke eye contact. Wanda shook her head ruefully at Tony. “I am sorry. It was my powers and the feelings you put into Bucky that allowed for this transformation. As of right now, I wouldn’t be able to undo the spell, nor am I willing to. Bucky is human—sentient. To turn him back now would be murder. It is possible, but you would have to find someone with great power and a willingness to kill. If you found someone like that; however, I would recommend that you run away. You can’t trust someone like that.”

Wanda’s answer took Tony by surprise. He had been asking whether Bucky could be turned back out of curiosity. He hadn’t contemplated exactly what that would mean for Bucky. He saw Wanda’s point; although he had to question it a little. If Bucky had memories, did that not mean he was alive as a teddy bear? Or at least sentient? He certainly was not alive in the medical sense. However, Tony was an engineer whose focus was artificial intelligence (at the moment). For him, sentience didn’t necessarily mean something was alive.

In truth, if Bucky really was his teddy bear, which his gut was telling him more and more was the case, then Bucky was the most fascinating being in existence to Tony. The questions he brought up about intelligence and life were amazing and perplexing. Tony wanted to be around him just so he could witness how Bucky interacted with the world.

“I want more proof of magic,” Tony stated. “And unless Bucky turns out to be a murderer, I have no intention of turning him back.”

Bucky’s shoulders shot together. He looked offended. “I would never murder someone. It’s not in my nature.”

Tony quirked an eyebrow, fascinated even more by Bucky. “And what is your nature?”

Bucky huffed and flailed his hands before gesturing to himself. “I’m a teddy bear, Tony. I’m designed to comfort and be a playmate. The only way I’d ever kill someone would be if the murderer used me to smother someone in their sleep. I’d be traumatized if that ever happened.”

“A traumatized teddy bear. Interesting.”

“And what would you like me to do to demonstrate magic to you?” Pietro asked. “Keep it small. I can’t alter time or make someone fall in love with you.”

Tony mulled over the question. He wanted to avoid using anything that was in the store as part of the demonstration, just in case Wanda and Pietro had rigged it.  He came up with a couple of ideas. He nodded at Bucky. “His clothes are a little small. Can you make them bigger?”

Pietro nodded his head side to side and cracked his knuckles. “Could end up messing with mass if I’m not careful, but should be easy enough. Up.” Pietro gestured for Bucky to stand.

Bucky did so hesitantly.

Pietro closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and fanned his hands out at Bucky’s sides. He mumbled hurriedly in a foreign language, as if trying to get words out in one breath.

Bucky’s shirt loosened around his chest and arms. The sweats he wore went from clinging to baggy, and the sandals on his feet stretched out to cradle them better.

Pietro stopped speaking. He opened his eyes and dropped his hands. “There.”

Bucky tugged on the bottom of his shirt. “It’s longer, but it feels lighter.”

“Your sandals look thinner too,” Tony said. The shoes were wider, but it was as if Pietro had pushed the bottom and top of the sandal closer together to push more of the sandal out.

“Just made a few adjustments on the materials,” Pietro said. “One more demonstration?”

Tony shook his head and stood. He’d seen enough. Magic—or unexplained science as it were—was real or he was crazy, and if it was the latter, he was so forgone in his delusions that there was no helping him. He might as well go along for the ride.

Or see a psychiatrist.

A psychiatrist who would lock him up and sedate him, whether magic was real or not.

Tony was not going to see a psychiatrist.

Tony slapped his hands on the arms of the chair and pushed himself out of the seat. “Well, this has been enlightening. I have to go deal with, well,” Tony chuckled bitterly, “contracts, going through my parents’ stuff, dealing with phone calls from lawyers, and the death of my parents.”  

Wanda and Pietro tensed. Wanda’s eyes widened with shock, and Pietro shifted uncomfortably.

“I’m so sorry,” Wanda said.

Tony waved off her concern. “C’est la vie. C’mon, Bucky.” Tony marched toward the exit. He was done with the wonder twins. He wasn’t even mad. Not like they had intended to bring his teddy bear to life. Plus, much as it rankled him to have something so unexplainable as magic in his life, he just didn’t have the time or energy to care. This adventure was a nice detour, but reality was calling.

He’d have to decide what he would keep of his parents’ things, then decide if he would sell their home. He had no intention of living in it—too many memories. He could keep the home though, and keep all of their stuff inside of it. It would be like the house was frozen in time.

Tony’s gut churned at the thought.

“Tony,” Bucky called out to him.

Tony stopped and blinked. He was no longer inside the bookstore. Instead he was outside and more than a few paces away from his car. He had no idea where he had been walking to just a few seconds ago, but wherever it was, it wasn’t his parents’ home.

“Tony.” Bucky took a step toward Tony. He’d stopped a few steps past the hood of Tony’s car before he’d called out to Tony. There was a car length of space between him and Tony.

Bucky’s brow was wrinkled. His cheeks were puffed and his lips slightly pursed. He looked confused, worried, and torn. He huffed then gestured at Tony’s car. “This one is yours.”

Tony nodded. “Just testing you.” Tony crossed the space between him and Bucky. His intention was to get to the driver door of his car, and he expected Bucky to step out of his path, but Bucky remained in his spot. Tony made to move around Bucky, but Bucky subtly jutted his hand out to the side. It was a silent request for Tony to stay in place, and easily ignorable.

Tony chose to pay attention to the gesture and stopped in front of Bucky.

“I know you probably don’t want it right now, but if you need a hug, let me know. It’s my job.”

“Thanks,” Tony stated.

Bucky fidgeted. “Can I be honest?”

Tony quirked an eyebrow. “Have you not been?”

Bucky startled. “What? No. I…” Bucky trailed off. “I just wanted to let you know that I want to give you a hug.” He shrugged. “But I also don’t want you to feel obligated either. I know you like making people happy. I like making people happy too. So don’t make yourself unhappy by trying to make me happy. ‘Cause then I’ll be unhappy, and then we will both be miserable.” Bucky smiled softly and held out his hand. “Deal?”

Tony’s thoughts were spinning. He was trying to process what Bucky was saying, while other parts of his brain were focused on his parents’ deaths and another part had gone back to trying to make sense of the whole magic and teddy bear scenario. He blinked then took a deep breath. He held up his hands as if to squeeze the air then lowered them. “You know what?” Tony flapped his arms at his side. “Fine. Let’s do this hug thing.”

Before Bucky could fret over whether Tony was truly hugging him out of a genuine desire or if he was doing it out of pressure, Tony flung his arms around Bucky and hugged him with all his strength.

The feelings of early morning bliss returned to Tony as he held Bucky. At first he thought it was a memory of the sensation, but as Bucky wrapped his arms around Tony, Tony felt so warm, secure, and safe in Bucky’s embrace, he couldn’t stop himself from sagging against Bucky and clinging to him.

Tony fisted the back of Bucky’s shirt. He took a deep breath and caught a whiff of the scent of his bedsheets and home.

His eyes watered as the tension in his muscles eased away.

“Are you a living, breathing sedative?” Tony whispered in awe.

Bucky cocked his head and looked down at Tony. “I’m a living, breathing teddy bear turned human.”

“You have superpowers of comfort,” Tony mumbled. His voice of reason murmured to him that he needed to let go of Bucky and step out of his embrace, but everything else in Tony screamed vehement denials.

Bucky stood on his tiptoes and rested his chin on Tony’s head. He chuckled. “I’m a teddy bear. Comfort is the only power I have.”

“I need to go to my parents’ house,” Tony said.

“Do you want me to let go?” Bucky asked.

“No,” Tony admitted. “But I need you to. I don’t think I can make myself let go right now.”

“Okay.” Bucky removed his chin from atop Tony’s head. He slowly slid his arms off Tony. He then took a step back, breaking Tony’s hold.

It was like jumping out of a nice warm bed after a wonderful night of rest, onto a hardwood floor in the middle of winter with a snow storm outside and no heat.

Tony shivered. He hugged himself and rubbed his arms. “Wow. That is drastic.” Doubt, fear, sorrow, and anger prickled along his heart and slashed his throat. He pushed down the those negative feelings by sheer will. “We should test that out more. Car.” He gestured to his car.

Bucky nodded and headed toward the passenger side. “I’ll hug you whenever you want.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Tony would also have to be careful. To go from an emotional high to a low so fast could not be good for him.

Also, with his life in such disarray, he’d become an addict to Bucky in no time.


End file.
